Destination Unknown
by Silent Sky
Summary: Destination: the place to which someone is going or must go, intended or destined end, a purpose for which someone is intended. When you have no destination, where do you go? Life is but another journey, but what happens when your destination is unknown?


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters associated with the anime/manga.

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Destination Unknown

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Sesshomaru walked with purposeful intent through the dark forest. It was nearing sunset, and the ancient forest glowed with eerie orange light. The huge trees towered overhead, their sprawling branches reaching for the darkening sky with single-minded commitment. Forever in the shadows of the ancient trees and their full canopy, the sparse undergrowth was stunted, yet possessing its own unique beauty. The forest floor was littered with dried leaves that rustled in the gentle breeze.

Gliding through the forest, the dog demon was acutely aware of the two who followed in his wake. The small imp demon, Jaken, his small legs a blur as he fought to keep up with his master, was watching the surrounding shadows deepen with barely disguised fear. Clutching the Staff of Two Heads tight in his small, clawed hands, the imp cowered in the shadow of the demon lord.

Following more easily than the imp, though last in line, was the young human girl, Rin. A mortal. Unlike the imp, she peered into the forest with childish delight, pleased with the opportunity to discover a new place, excited by the current adventure, unafraid, not when she had her mentor and protector with her. She skipped along behind the imp, her head swinging from side to side as she took in the ancient majesty of the forest.

Sesshomaru was conscious of them, yet his mind was on other matters. This forest belonged to a demon, the demon that the dog lord was currently searching out. And yet, despite the feeling of dark, old power in the trees, he could not feel the presence of the demon, whose strong demonic aura should be tangible even from miles away.

Unnerved by the absence of the demonic aura, though unwilling to admit it, Sesshomaru wondered once again if it was wise to seek out this particular demon. A demon of great power and unfathomable age, a demon whom few had had the chance to meet, whom even fewer lived to talk about.

A demon of the earth, a demon of the land.

A demon that was so entwined with the mother of all life, who was so deeply connected to the earth, to the trees, to the sky, to the water, that he could control the elements to his heart's desire. Wind and water were his to command. Fire was his weapon, earth his home. And power was his life.

Or so the legends said.

A demon of wisdom, Sesshomaru knew, which is why he was currently deep in lands that few ever dared venture, that few ever returned from. And yet now the dog lord walked through these lands, confident and unafraid, stoic and calm, as he always was. Perhaps walking to his very demise, yet his step did not falter.

Why this was, Sesshomaru did not know. Why he sought this demon, he did not know either.

There were many things he did not know, though he would die before admitting it another soul, or so he told himself.

He did not know why he had accepted Jaken as his servant all those decades ago. He did not know why he allowed the human girl to accompany him. He did not know what these strange things he felt for her were, why he worried about her, why he cared about her.

But most all, he did not know why he searched.

For as long as he could remember, he had been searching. He walked roads that few even knew existed, he traveled paths that no one had seen before. And he searched.

For what? He could not remember. Maybe he had never known. No one ever asked him why he traveled day after day, month after month, year after year. With no destination, yet always knowing where to place his next step, the dog lord never faltered, never wavered. Jaken never questioned—he wouldn't dare. Rin did not ask—it mattered not to her where they went, as long as she wasn't alone.

Who else was there to ask? Who else would dare question the Lord of the West? Who would ask, where are you going, Sesshomaru?

No one. And so no one knew. No one knew that he was lost in the world, drifting through life with no purpose except his search. And yet, what purpose was that? He knew not what he searched for. He knew not his objective in life.

Perhaps, there was one who would ask. There was one who would be brash enough to question the demon lord. There was one.

And who else could that be but Inuyasha?

The half-breed. There was nothing more to say about Inuyasha. He was an abomination. He should never have been born. Sesshomaru did not deign to think about the half-breed, even while a small part of him could never forget the brother that was so like and yet unlike him.

Sesshomaru's gliding gait came to a halt at the slightest change in the breeze. Turning to Rin and Jaken, he told them to wait where they were. He cared little if Jaken were to die, but he would not lead Rin to her death. Why? Yet another thing he did not know.

As he strode forward once again, following the hint of that dark scent, he wondered if that was what had driven him to seek this demon. Did he search for the knowledge this ancient demon possessed? Was he looking for answers in the demon's wise eyes? What would he find? Why was he here?

The forest changed as he walked. The ancient trees turned to rolling meadows as Sesshomaru came upon a lake, surrounded by mountains. The lake was cold, clear, deep. Calm. Untouched by anything of this world, or so it seemed. Hiding anything, hiding everything, in its cold, unfathomable depths.

Like mirrored like, and dog lord looked down at the embodiment of his self.

Discarding his pensive mood, Sesshomaru began to make his way around the lake, following the elusive scent that drew him onward. What was it that he searched for in this place, from this demon? There were no answers.

Where would his search carry him after this, if he left this place alive? What land, what location, would call to him next? Still, there were no answers.

He recalled the occasion when, in a moment of thoughtless audacity, Jaken had commented that Sesshomaru's résumé was one long death wish. The remark had, at the time, amused him. But now, now he wondered how much truth there actually was in the words.

Wasn't this, this mission, this quest, this venture, was it not a death wish? This demon was reputed to kill those he did not invite to his land. Was Sesshomaru not walking to his own death?

He found himself thinking that not even his fool of a brother would be irrational enough to do what he was about to do.

There were no answers. He only hoped that, perhaps, this demon might give him the answers he sought before killing him.

Not that Sesshomaru wouldn't fight. He always fought. Why? He was not sure. For his honour, for his pride? For his life?

What life?

A cave stood before him now, hidden in the cliff face that formed one shore of the lake. Sesshomaru stepped into the shallow water and glided into the dark entrance.

His demon eyes quickly adjusted to the lack of light, and the sight that emerged before him was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

The underground lake spread before him in shimmering silver, reflecting the light from the hundreds of crystal stalagmites that hung from the stone roof of the cave. The enormous crystals spiraled from the stone, forming beautiful and eerie patterns of frozen water, water made ice, ice made stone. Exquisite and entrancing.

Sesshomaru moved into the middle of the cave, the shallow water barely reaching his ankles. And then he felt it.

The demonic aura.

It slithered over him, under him, through him. It swirled through the air, a tangible thing, a darkness within the darkness.

Sesshomaru failed to suppress the shiver that ran through him. Nothing, _nothing_, had ever felt like this. The demonic aura seemed to flow from the very stones, the crystal stalagmites, the rippling water. Everywhere and nowhere. Everything and nothing.

And then the demon stood before him.

Sesshomaru had heard no step in the water, had felt no shift in the aura, had smelled no change in the scent. And yet there he was, standing, proud and fearless, staring boldly at the demon lord who ruled the entirety of the West, the demon lord he could destroy with no effort whatsoever.

Many feelings assaulted Sesshomaru, and he struggled with the new emotions that suddenly filled him. Fear, awe, humility. Others he knew no name for.

The demon took a step forward, now a mere ten feet away from Sesshomaru. The demon's movement made no ripple in the water, no sound at all.

The silence was heavy, broken only by the slow dripping of water, echoing from somewhere in the cave.

The demon appeared quite young. No, not young. Ageless. No beginning, no end. Like the land, like the earth, like the sky. A creature of all those things and more. A demon of the elements. A demon of unrivaled power.

He examined Sesshomaru slowly, a considering look in his eyes. The dog demon made no move, not wishing to provoke an attack. Slowly, the demon brought his gaze up to Sesshomaru's.

"What brings you to my home, Lord of the Western Domain?"

His voice spiraled and sung. The sound of the breeze through trees, the sound of water singing over stone. A fresh spring wind, a warm summer sun, a gentle autumn night, a cold winter silence, all emanating from that one voice. A song of sounds, a symphony of nature. The voice of life.

Sesshomaru struggled to find the words. Why _was_ he here? He did not know, so what was he to say? Finding no answers in the cave's silence, he settled on the truth, the only words that made any sense to him.

"I came for answers."

The demon's dark eyes were amused. "Answers to what, I wonder? The answer to life? The answer to power? The answer to happiness? What answers do you seek, Inu Youkai?"

Finally, someone had asked.

Was this why he had sought this demon? To at last answer the question that no one would ask him?

Yet, now that the question had finally been put before him, he knew not how to answer.

So, again, he spoke the truth.

"I do not know."

The ancient—yet timeless—demon nodded.

"All dog demons wander. It is their nature. Yet you, Sesshomaru, you do not wander, you search. Yet you know not what you search for."

Sesshomaru did not bother to wonder how the demon knew his name.

The demon paused. "Your father also searched."

Sesshomaru nearly forgot to breathe. His father?

"Did my father know what it was he searched for?" the dog lord asked softly.

The demon's reply was just as soft. "He did not know what he searched for until he found it."

Sesshomaru's heart pounded. The answers were so close.

"And what did he find?"

The demon's eyes held a queer glitter, like laughter locked in stone. "I know not. All I know is that his search ended, two years before he passed from this world."

Two years . . . No. That wasn't the answer. He would not even consider it. Not—

"Inuyasha," the demon spoke into the silence, "he searches as well, Sesshomaru. But he, he knows what he searches for. He knows what he wants, he knows his goal. You would do well to learn from him."

Sesshomaru could not summon the strength of emotion required to feel insulted. What was this demon trying to tell him? What meaning lay behind the riddles?

"And what does Inuyasha search for?"

"What does anyone search for, Sesshomaru? Only his heart knows the answer to that, just as your heart knows what you seek."

Sesshomaru pondered this, but could make no sense of it. If his heart knew, why didn't he?

The demon continued. "Inuyasha's search is nearly over. His desire lies within his reach. What does he search for? What does everyone search for? Do you know, Sesshomaru?"

The dog demon narrowed his eyes and remained silent, unwilling to reveal that he did not know what the demon made out to be something so obvious.

"Peace, Sesshomaru, inner peace."

Frustration overwhelmed him.

"I know that," he snapped, his voice colder than the mountain lake.

"Yes," the demon replied softly, "but you don't know how to achieve that peace. That, Sesshomaru is what you search for."

The simplicity, the complexity. No, he refused to believe that it was that simple. That it was that complex.

"Your heart knows the answer, Sesshomaru, just as everyone's heart knows. Your search is one of the soul. You seek the answers that are hidden deep within."

Answers. And yet no answers at all.

He knew what he searched for now, yet he did not know what it was. He knew what he needed to find, but yet its form was still unknown to him.

"Your answers tell me nothing."

"How can I give you the answers you need, Sesshomaru, when you do not even know what questions to ask?"

Frustration was an empty emotion. It got him nowhere.

His father had found peace. Inuyasha would find peace. And he, he would search and search. And then he would die, no closer to his goal than he'd been yesterday, last year, last decade. Last century. The day he was born.

The demon turned, started to walk away.

Sesshomaru would not call out, would not beg for answers. He would not. And maybe that was why he still searched.

"You must listen to your heart, Sesshomaru." The voice was soft, echoing out of the darkness as the demon's form evanesced. "It knows the way. Only if you find what you seek will your soul be complete. Only then will you understand."

And he was gone.

Sesshomaru turned slowly and began to make his way out of the cave, knowing the demon would offer no more answers.

Understand what? How was he to find peace?

He had his answers. But he had no answers at all.

So he would continue to search. What choice did he have? He would search all the lands of this earth, and he would search all the planes of his soul. Someday, someday he would find his answers.

Or, someday, he would die with half a soul, half a heart, half a life.

His feet carried him back to where the other two waited without him being aware of it. His heart was heavy with the knowledge his mind could not see, could not comprehend. His soul yearned for completion at the same time it ached with despair. A résumé that was one long death wish.

At that moment, death could not have been more welcome.

But, as he suddenly found himself looking down into the innocent eyes of the human girl Rin, he felt the slightest stir deep within him.

It was a long time, many days later, when he realized what that glimmer of emotion had been.

Hope.

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The End

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